Brandon Tauszik Shows Barbershops' Integral Role Through Gifs

Brandon Tauszik: Tapered Throne

In the African American community most men get their haircut at a barbershop. The shops and the people that run them remain as one of the most important institutions to black communities because they foster comfortable and open environments where people can talk, form friendships and be themselves.

Brandon Tauszik, a photographer from Northern England, took to his Oakland, California residence and explored the independently owned barbershops in the city's black communities. To learn about the crucial role the shops play, Tauszik offers a glimpse at the daily routines and interactions shop owners have in his latest series, Tapered Throne.

An introductory essay by Dr. Quincy T. Mills, a professor of Africana Studies at Vassar College, accompanies Tauszik's exhibition and explains the loyalty one has to his barber. Mills writes:

“Haircuts are not commodities for African Americans. You cannot get one anywhere, from anyone, at any price. One’s barber knows how he likes his hair cut, how long to keep the sideburns, how to shape the taper. Outside of the particulars of one’s cut, a barber will come to learn much about their clients. Information is divulged about family, work, recreation, and sometimes their greatest fears and joys.”

— http://taperedthrone.com/

Brandon Tauszik: Tapered Throne

Barbers form a Rolodex of names, events and places relevant in the community, their shops become the pulse of everything current in the neighborhoods. In cities where crime is abundant barbershops add positive influence and support. A man named ATL said of Fruitvale Barbers in 2014, "We sometimes have to deal with a lot of negativity in Oakland; poverty, crime, violence. But I don't believe my shop has to be part of all that."

The series of images Tauszik presents are made more intriguing by his use of gifs. Gifs offer the spotlight aspect of a photo, but, "At the heart of a gif is the loop... you're able to spend time within the moment as the same sliver of time passes on infinite repeat," Tauszik says. The footage is reminiscent of a barber's pole forever turning outside his shop, as viewers see the clippers move back and forth, around and about a myriad of black heads and chins. 

Tapered Throne illustrates how barbershops create valuable relationships and sync communities, see for yourself at brandontauszik.com and be sure to read the paired essay.

Brandon Tauszik: Tapered Throne

Photographer Sage Sohier Captures Same-sex Couples in the 1980s

Thanks to the United States Supreme Court's ruling on June 26, same-sex couples have the Constitutional right to marry. This victory for the gay rights movement shines light on the importance of individual equality, acceptance and understanding the world is concerned with today; the victory shows stark contrasts of how far society has come since the Stonewall riots in 1969 and the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. 

In her book, At Home with Themselves: Same-sex Couples in 1980s America, Photographer Sage Sohier examines 1986 when mass media and the public blamed AIDS' outbreak on same-sex promiscuity. She says of her project, "The advent of the disease led me to think about the prevalence, variety and longevity of gay and lesbian relationships... My ambition was to make pictures that challenged and moved people." In the '80s it was common to keep same-sex relationships discreet and away from ridicule due to the persecution and discrimination of the time.

Personally Sohier was impacted upon discovering in the late '70s her Father was gay. Her photographs are sparked by curiosity about homosexual life, set in and around cities in Massachusetts, like Provincetown and Boston, as well as others across the country. Honest, personal images appear depicting natural interactions between couples themselves and other people in their lives, such as parents and children.

Read more on Sage Sohier's book here and explore her other work at www.sagesohier.com.

Just a Photograph 2

Photo by Alex Young - 7/24/15

Just a Photograph 1

Left to Right: Amani Davis and Hannibal Hopson - Photo by Alex Young 7/25/15

InTheRough Gallery for Life's Goods

Today, InTheRough celebrates the opening of "Gallery"-- a space where consumers can browse and purchase selections of art. Gallery compliments ITR's "Life's Goods" and "Projects" pages because it offers tangible creations that comment on popular culture. The marketplace place houses work by multiple artists leaving endless possibilities to what specifically is and will be sold in the future. Gallery will open and close as InTheRough works to showcase new, unique products.

First to display in Gallery is Amani Davis of Kamili and Alex of InTheRough presenting a range of illustration and photography prints. Gallery's first exhibition comes on the cusp of Kamili, an art exhibition that re-purposed wood from torn down Pittsburgh neighborhoods. ITR's work with Amani and Hannibal Hopson now allows the opportunity for a space dedicated to the sale of art.

Amani comes to Gallery with colorful 11x17in illustration prints influenced by hip hop music's current atmosphere. The pieces recognize musicians' popularity as well as their rambunctious lifestyle. While Amani's pieces are pointed, there is an abstract quality that characterizes the illustrations, particularly in "Thuggin Noise".

In documenting Life's Goods for InTheRough, Alex finds he has amassed many photographs of his Pittsburgh environment and images inviting to the eye. He adds an intriguing 16x20 photograph print capturing the city's David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

On July 25th Alex, Amani, and Hannibal took to Pittsburgh's Hamilton Ave where a building covered in pink served as the backdrop to show Gallery's pieces. The area's painted walls substituted for any basic white or black background, the physical gallery we crafted in the building's parking lot  serves as the visuals consumers will see in Gallery. Explore the exhibit here.